


In Safe hands

by t3f3r



Category: Neopets
Genre: Boys Kissing, Caretaking, Feeding, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kissing, Liquor Mention, M/M, Past Torture, idk what else to tag this as...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 06:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9110950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t3f3r/pseuds/t3f3r
Summary: Jacques didn’t know how long the torture had lasted, he didn’t know how long it had been since the Drench had started to make him play in their twisted and sinister games. But amidst the torture and the dark watery depths he was bound to, he had found a light.And where there’s light, there’s hope.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So… A while back I had wrote this fic of Garin and Jacques a long time ago on Tumblr. I decided that maybe I can actually put up this story because even though it may be old, I am still so darn proud of it. I had to edit and rewrite some of the parts, and I had accidentally made it a bit grim in the beginning but kind of sappy and sweet in the end. 
> 
> I totally love it to pieces. 
> 
> This all takes place during the Curse Of Maraqua plot, just a day or two after Garin has just saved Jacques from the Drench sisters and hes recovering. Enjoy!

He was trapped. Trapped in an internal hell.

Jacques could remember clearly how dark the depths of the ocean were, the cold water which made it feel like his skin was covered completely in pins and needles, and how damped the atmosphere was inside the underwater cave in which he was dragged into against his very will. Everything from within the cave has never seen sunlight, or if it has, has never been able to see it again. The sand, which was covered in debris, kelp and broken shell pieces, were the only images of comfort inside that cave that made the Kyrii cling on to hope. The small ounce of hope that someway, somehow, he will be able to escape. To reach the surface and soon feel the warm embrace of the sun once more. If only he wasn’t so alone. If only… He could have someone as company with him.

Unfortunately for him, he was better off alone if he had known the Drench where close by.  

Jacques could remember the vile cackling of the sisters, the hideous and wicked smiles that would display their sharpened teeth. He could even remember the way the sisters would all slowly slink inside  the dark murky waters of the cave, hiding their selves discretely before approaching him one by one. The sisters were notorious for their acts of cruel nature, all beginning to have their own ’ _fun_ ’ by torturing him with various of mind games and horrific acts.

Each sister had a specific game to play with him, from oldest to youngest.

The eldest sister was the one who would always try to drown him whenever she was inside the cave. She would try her hardest to keep Jacques submerged in the water for as long as he can. Sometimes letting him submerged ever after he feels the water begin to fill his lungs and stomach, before bringing him back up to the air pocket of the cave to let him breathe again. Just as soon as he would finally catch his breath, she would drag him back down again, despite his efforts to fight back or when she hears his begging cries. Of course this went on for quite a while until she would get bored and eventually let her younger sisters to play with him.

With the middle sister, her favorite game to play was called ’ _Escape and Capture_ ’. She was the one who had introduced him to the serum that would allow him to breathe underwater. She would start by giving Jacques a sip of the sour drink she had in her possession, before untying him from the rope that bound him to finally let him go. Her rules of the game were simple: Find a way out of the cave before she finds him first. Out of all of the attempts he had tried to escape from the cave, Jacques had always found himself lost in the dark sea waters. And every single time he would be close to the exit, the second sister would always find him and drag him back to the cave where he had been imprisoned.

Now as much as the younger sister was the lesser evil of the two, it didn’t mean that she didn’t play as nicely with him. Her favorite game involved using her pointy nails to create different scratches, scars and marks all over his body. Like a Kadoatie with a scratching post, the youngest sister would be the one who would unleash her claws on the young Kyrii. Sometimes her older sisters would help out by grabbing onto his arms or legs to hold him down so she can start her wrath upon him.

Then, the sisters’ torture had finally pushed him over the edge.

It was during the time when the younger sister had begun to toy with him, that she pulled out his own sword to use for her ’ _playtime_ ’. Jacques remembered slipping out of the other two sister’s grasps to plunge into the deep water. When he was close to the edge however, the youngest sister had already swung his sword at him. He could feel the metal slice dangerously close to his back, thankfully cutting only cloth instead of skin. But he could remember feeling his shoulders become much more lighter than before. He saw that his long beautiful red hair that once fell to his knees, has now reached to his shoulders with a jagged cut.

His hair didn’t matter at this point, Jacques didn’t even skip a beat as to dive into the cold waters below. His motivation and determination was what drove him to believe that he felt closer to freedom. He remembered after getting lost for a minute or two, he saw something at the far end of the cavern that he hasn’t seen in what seemed to be from a matter of days or weeks.

Light.

Every fiber in his being ached from the torture he endured, but he used his anger to drive him to fight through the water to reach to the angelic light. Jacques could remember grabbing onto a stone that shone beautifully from the light at the entrance of the cave, but right as he grabbed onto the stone, he felt the burning pain from the Drench’s claws sink deep into his legs and ankles. He would have let out a cry or a gasp, but since he was underwater, the only began to swallow ounce after ounce of the salty seawater. He felt himself being dragged away from the light, seeing it fade ever so gently as it slipped away from his own fingertips. His lungs began to burn in desperation for air, as the Drenches began to circle around him. Taunting him and teasing him for his failed efforts. They started to inflict wounds onto his bare skin, the burning from his marks clashed with the cold of the ocean’s water as his vision soon began to fade.

’ _How long will I have to endure this? How long will I manage to last?’_ Jacques thought to himself as he slowly fell into the darkness.

Just when he succumbed to the shadows, he felt a warm sensation grow on his chest.

At first he hesitated to open his eyes, he didn’t want to wake up to see himself back inside that cave. He didn’t want to look back at their crooked smiles he continued to be their ’ _plaything_ ’. He thought he was better off dead then to be kept as their prisoner.

But then, he heard light footsteps.

This had not only confused him, but also made him much more curious. If he could hear footsteps, then that would mean that he wasn’t in the cave no more…

That would mean that he wasn’t alone… Right?

Jacques let out a whimper as he slowly opened his eyes. In his wake he was greeted, not by the cold dark cave, the cold wet sand with the kelp and the broken shells and debris.

Instead, he was greeted to a sight of a room.

It felt much more welcoming than the cave entirely. The room had a fairly small fireplace not too far from the bed in which he laid in. There was also a table with a few chairs in the room along with a desk as well. As he looked around the room, a light flashed in his eyes which caused him to squint and turn his head to the direction of where it was coming from. Just to the left of the bed, there was a window, which allowed the sun’s rays to shine into the room. Outside of the window, it overlooked to the shore and the ocean just off of the island he happened to be on. Jacques sighed to himself, relieved that it was only a nightmare that had just plagued him in his sleep and not the actual Drench. Seeing that the shores were different than the shores of his own home, and Krawk Island’s, he was starting to realize that he was on a different island.

’ _That’s right_ ,’ he thought to himself. ’ _This is Scurvy Island… I’m in Scurvy Island_.’

He sighed contently as he laid back onto the soft pillow that was beneath his head. His eyes closed for a moment as he took his time to take in the sensation of being out of harms way. Of being safe and content from the emotional and physical abuse for however long the Drench had kept him. Just as he was taking in the serenity, Jacques felt something grab onto his hand, making him jolt in his sitting and his eyes snapped open in fear.

He looked to see a young Usul around his age with short blond hair sitting next to him. Because the Kyrii’s reaction, the young Usul flinched in his sitting. But eventually Jacques could see a smile tug at the corner of the blond’s lips as he relaxed himself. The way he was calmed down had made Jacques feel a lot more at ease, soon he too began to relax under his very gaze. He didn’t know how, but this man before him would help him relax even from even the most fearsome battles among the high seas.

“Sorry, I didn’t think you were awake. How are you feeling?” The Usul, Garin, had asked him. All in the while he grabbed a bowl from the table not far from him to wait for his answer. Jacques however didn’t reply as he continued to stare off at his friend’s every move. He couldn’t tell if it was because of his company, his charming looks, or his calm ocean blue eyes. For some reason, he just couldn’t help but look into them as he felt himself much more tranquil and at peace.

In the end, Jacques broke out of his gaze and looked down at his hands. He gave a small shrug to his friend, seeing the blond grimace from the silent pause.

“Another bad dream, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jacques mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. Feeling that the sweat had gather up on his neck, perhaps from his nightmare. There wasn’t much else to tell him, and he was more than happy enough that his friend took the hint. He saw Garin nod his head slowly, before taking a spoon out from the inside of his vest to stir the questionable contents inside it before scooping it up.

“Here,” Garin replied as he raised the spoon up to his face. Jacques could see that the questionable contents were, in fact, just plain looking oatmeal. He couldn’t help but make a face, as he heard his friend chuckle from his reaction. “It’ll make you feel better, believe me.” Garin finished. Jacques let out a soft sigh, rolling his eyes before he leaned in close to take the spoon into his mouth.

The oatmeal tasted as plain as it had looked, in fact, the oatmeal was disgusting. It was bitter, and when he began to chew at it, he could tell that it was sticky and quite chunky. It made him want to spit it back out, he was surprised that he didn’t though. Instead, he chewed at it the best he could before he swallowed, feeling the clump of tasteless mass go down his throat and fall into his stomach like a lead ball.

“Are you sure that’s oatmeal, and not sawdust mixed with glue?” Jacques gasped, he was thankful that his stomach was able to keep down that one spoon serving. Garin chuckled as he reached over to the table, grabbing onto a small mug to hand it over to him. “Where did you even get this?” he managed to ask before grabbing onto the mug.

“Hey, I had to go to the other side of Krawk Island just to get this meal for you.” Garin pointed out as he began to get another spoonful of oatmeal, much to Jacques’ dismay.

“What happened to the meal I got yesterday night?”

“I found out the hard way that the meal wasn’t available for take out-”

“How? Did the cook track you down?” Jacques teased.

“Yes.” Garin groaned as he looked back at him. “And if you don’t remember from yesterday- You couldn’t even hold down a spoon of that meal. So I’m not making that same mistake again.” He pointed out, now waving the spoon filled oatmeal in front of the Kyrii’s nose. “I just need to see if you can keep anything down.” he stressed.

Jacques grimaced as he glanced down at the spoon, pushing away the nausea to take in another spoonful of oatmeal. He tried his best to chew on the oatmeal, which to him felt like wet and dry clumps of paste, before bringing the mug he had up to his lips to take a sip. He was hoping to get something that could wash away the horrible taste in his mouth, but he wasn’t expecting the mug to be filled with lukewarm grog. Jacques couldn’t nearly compose himself as he spat out a good portion of the liquor and oatmeal. As he was able to calm himself down to a point where he could swallow the last of the mess that remained in his mouth, he could hear his friend laughing out loud as he started to cough loudly.

“Y-you did that on purpose.” Jacques choked, grabbing at his throat to make sure there wasn’t any more oatmeal caught in his throat.

“No, I didn’t.” Garin remarked as he began to calm down from his laughing fit. “I’d given you the last of the water yesterday because you kept chucking up the meal I brought. So as of now, we just have to settle with the grog from downstairs’ bar. Sorry buddy.” Garin added. He stirred the contents in the bowl while Jacques leaned back onto the pillow under him, looking up at the ceiling to groan loudly.

“Still, next time just tell me what you got to eat so you won’t stuff it in my face.” he complained. Seeing the captain raise a questionable brow at him.

“Aw, but that’s what makes it a surprise though!” Garin mocked with a wink. Jacques glared at him, not only for the comment, but for seeing him getting another spoon ready for him.

“I think I’m done-”

“No, you’re not.”

“Oh, no. I’m not taking in another bite.”

“That’s fine, I’ll force it down your throat then.”

“Pah! You wish!”

“Or I can dump this on your hair instead.”

Jacques gritted his teeth as soon as the comment reached his ears. The temperature dropped a few degrees in the room as the atmosphere remained perfectly quiet. His captain was really getting on his nerves, on the other hand, he can sense that his captain’s patience was slowly dwindling after every second as well. Jacques’ brows furrowed as he kept his gaze on the blond.

“You wouldn’t…” Jacques whispered. Although Garin’s face was calm, Jacques could see a familiar mischievous gleam in the blond’s ocean blue eyes.

“I would. And you know that all too well, mate.” Garin replied in a casual tone. He stirred the rest of the contents in the bowl once more, before getting a new spoon ready for him. “Please Jacques? Just two more spoons?” he asked him.

Jacques bit his lower lip, seeing the gross clump before him. He knew it was beneficial for him to eat, since he has to gain some strength somehow. He just wished there could have been a different way for him to do so. Jacques’ shoulders slumped as he bite down on the spoon in front of him. Jacques shivered as he took in the clump from his mouth, but as he began to chew on it- It felt like as if his throat was beginning to tighten up and he started to gag.

“Swallow.” Garin ushered, his voice stern but still rather calm. Jacques shut his eyes tightly, feeling tears threatening to fall from them as he forced himself to swallow the remnants of the oatmeal. Right after he was finished, he could start to sense the bitter aftertaste becoming much more stronger than before.  

“Dear Fyora, this is gross.” Jacques spat as he shook his head. Jacques could see Garin smile more as he begin to scrape up the last of the oatmeal in the bowl, making it the biggest spoonful he has ever seen since he had first started to eat the disgusting dish.  

“You got one more spoonful and then you’ll be done.”

“Unless I keel over now-”

“You wouldn’t do that to me, not right now.” Garin noted. Jacques held in a breath, quickly glancing at both Garin and the spoon before he finally took it into his mouth. This time he skipped the chewing, and just swallowed the whole entire clump until he took a well deserved sigh. He was just thankful that the oatmeal fiasco was finally over for him, and he saw his friend’s smile grew wider.

“See? That wasn’t so bad, Jackie.”

“Speak for yourself.” Jacques mumbled as he took in a sip of the grog he held, feeling the warm liquid slide down his throat and into his stomach. He sighed contently from the welcoming warmth before glaring back at Garin. “That was the nastiest dish I had ever ate in my entire life! I’d rather eat raw seaweed than that stuff-”

“Well that makes me more confident on what to bring you for dinner.” Garin said nonchalantly.

Jacques rolled his eyes once more, before looking out the window.  Although the sun shining on the shore and the pier made the island seem tranquil, he couldn’t help but feel that something was off. Along the entire port there seemed to be no boats in site. Yesterday Jacques could recall seeing at least one or two ships, but today the docks were empty. It almost made it seem like that the town they stayed in was literally a ghost town. The only inhabitants left on the island were just the people that hid themselves away in their own home or establishments.

“So… where there any other sailors while you were out?” Jacques asked, seeing his captain only shrug.

“Only a few, it’s so weird. Few days ago there were many sailors around the island, but now…. No one.” Jacques nodded, taking another sip of his grog as he leaned back on the pillow again. Both Jacques and Garin looked out at the window to take in the calm silence. Jacques could only wonder what could be on his friend’s mind during this time. Other than going out to save the underwater city of Maraqua and finding the rest of their crew. But at least the two could take in the silence and comfort of each other until they have to decide what their next course of action should be.

“Jacques.”

“Hm?”

“What do you think of me?” Jacques turned his head to look to at his friend, seeing Garin still fixated on the sight just outside of the window.

“What do I think of you? Hm… That’s, an odd question to ask out of the blue.” he chuckled softly. Garin looked down at his hands, before looking back at him.

“It’s just… I thought you would hate me.” Jacques gave him a puzzled look before Garin continued. “I had thought to myself that maybe… If I would have listened to you, when we were attacked, that maybe none of this would have happened-”

“What are you saying?” Jacques asked, sounding rather concerned at where this conversation was leading. Garin rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, averting his eyes before he answered.

“If I would have listened to you- To abandoned the ship when he were attacked then, we would all be-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Jacques snapped back, causing Garin to look back at him rather surprised from his outburst. “You tried to fight for what was yours- For what was ours. Even though this had all happened, it made you stronger for what you fight for. If you didn’t stay then you would have been called a coward and a no good-” Jacques stopped himself before he could even finish his sentence. The air seemed dry and stale as they remained still and silent. Jacques shook his head to clear any of his thoughts before sighing and turning to gaze out the window once more.

“Garin.. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”

“No, you are right. It was best that I stayed to fight back.” Garin confirmed. ‘Hm.’ Jacques nodded, taking another sip of the warm grog as he heard Garin once more. “You still didn’t answer my question though.”

“You really want to know?” Jacques asked back, seeing his captain cross his arms. He truly wasn’t going to let that question go was he?

“Alright, alright,” Jacques chuckled, giving in to his friend’s request. “Well… Obviously you’re a great friend, you have been there for me since we were both little. You’re a great captain, better than any I have ever heard about, or read about for that matter…” he trailed off of his words, trying to put his thoughts together the best he could.

Should he really tell him? Should he really tell his captain how he feels like towards him?

He glanced down at his mug, using his wrist to swirl the liquid inside as he whispered. “I really wouldn’t know what I’d be doing now if I wasn’t here with you right now, that’s for sure.” He glanced up at the blond, seeing him with his arms still crossed and watching him carefully.

“You were hesitating.” Garin pointed out. Jacques blinked at him cautiously.

“What? No I wasn’t.”

“Were too.”

“Shove off-”

“Jacques,” Garin sighed as he leaned forward in his sitting, “You can tell me anything you know, I just… Really want to know.” Jacques let out a forced laugh. He could tell that Garin was not only being serious, but still bent on knowing what he had in mind. He almost seemed to be desperate to know what he thought about him. Jacques looked back at the mug of grog in his hand, he chugged down the rest of the grog before he handed the empty mug back to Garin, who in turned placed it back on the table.

“Fine” Jacques muttered as he looked down at his own hands, feeling his chest tighten up as he tried to string the words together from his mind to answer his captain.“Sometimes I- I wondered if I could ever find a way to be even more closer to you. I mean, I know we are best friends, but in my eyes I see you more than just a friend.” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before closing his eyes tightly to get some ounce of courage before he continued.

“It’s like you are the only treasure in the whole world. In all of Neopia. And… If I were to lose something as precious as that- as precious as you- Then I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I guess you could say that I even… Love you. More than friends, or even crew mates.” he forced yet another chuckle out from between his teeth. “But that’s strange to hear that come out of me, so I’m just going to shut up now.”

The room was so quiet that you could hear the patrons in the bar just below them, and the young first mate decided that it would be best if he didn’t open his eyes to look over at his Captain. He felt embarrassed, and quite silly to even tell him what he thought about him in the beginning but now? He felt like an idiot for saying such a thing to him. He couldn’t bare to think what his friend’s reaction would be like if he were to open his eyes now.

Just as he was self doubting himself, he felt one hand lightly grab onto his, and another hand lightly grab onto the back of his head. Soon he felt the hand push his head gently enough to bring him forward, making his lips come in contact with his friend’s. Jacques’ eyes were still closed tightly, but as soon as he felt the warm pair of lips touch onto his own, something possessed him to push forward to give his friend a gradually slow and steady kiss.

Jacques opened his eyes to see if it was Garin that he was actually kissing, and sure enough it was. It wasn’t long until he and the young captain soon parted from the kiss, that Garin then got up from his seat casually. Jacques’ face felt hot, his brain was trying to take in what in Neopia just happened as he was left in a confused daze. Just as he sat there frozen in place he saw Garin walk up to the table to grab an odd looking sword to place it securely in his vest pocket, before grabbing the two mugs that were on the table.

“You get some rest now Jacques. I’m going to head out to see if I can get any word out on the street.” he said. When Jacques didn’t answer, Garin turned towards him with a trademark grin on his face. “I’d better not see you get out of bed either, alright?” he asked.

Jacques managed to slowly nod to the captain, just before Garin left and closed the wooden door right behind him. Jacques slowly fell back onto the pillow as he remained quiet, and still. He felt his face become even more hotter as he finally realized what had just happened, and absentmindedly he took a hand and place it to his own lips. Still feeling the sensation of his Captain’s lips right on his as he was able to let out a small whisper.

“Shit.”

* * *

“… And just as I gotten close enough to the guy, I took out my blade and I sliced the tie from the purse in one swipe that it landed right in my hand. Just like that!” Garin motioned with the maractite blade in his hand. He flashed a large smile to his first mate as he placed the blade back into his vest pocket.

“Wow, that blade sure comes in handy.” Jacques said before taking a sip of the cool water that was in his mug. He was thankful that Garin had came back some time later with some extra coin, a warm meal that can be both dinner and breakfast that next morning, and even some cool water for him to drink instead of the grog.

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to put this blade to good use!” Garin replied before looking over at him. “So, how are you feeling now?”

“A lot better actually, I think I might be able to walk out of bed tomorrow morning!” Jacques remarked. He could see his captain smile and he can tell that he was not only happy for him, but also relieved from his answer.

“Glad to hear it. We’ll head out tomorrow after breakfast then. We need to see where everyone had gone off to.”

“And to help Isca right?” Jacques asked, seeing Garin nod.

“Right, it’s no use wasting any more time than we should.” he explained. Jacques nodded back. His mind began to bring him to think over his own thoughts as he stared into his empty mug. Thoughts about what had happened before his friend had left earlier, when the two of them actually kissed… Jacques took in a hesitated breath as he looked over at the blond.

“Garin.”

“Hm?”

“About earlier…” Jacques trailed as he felt his throat tighten up again, he coughed lightly before he continued. “I feel… Like I just acted a bit weird to you. For what I said. I just… You don’t have to have feelings for me if you don’t want to.” Jacques bit his tongue for a minute to pause himself and to fight the anxiety that had been holding him back. His inner thoughts yelled at him to not continue on with this conversation, but he pushed those inner thoughts aside. “You didn’t have to kiss me if you didn’t want to. And you don’t have to feel like we have to be… more than just friends or more than crew mates…”

“You’re right.” Jacques blinked in shock as he saw Garin casually taking a sip of grog. Without skipping a beat he asked 'I am?’ as he saw Garin look back at him. “Aye. I really didn’t have to give you a kiss you know.” Before Jacques had a chance to react to his answer, Garin leaned close to him and planted another small kiss on his lips, “If anything, you deserve more than that.” he whispered.

Jacques couldn’t help but avert his eyes shyly away from the blond as he asked, “So… You don’t mind about what happened earlier then?” He asked, hesitantly glancing back at Garin. Seeing the blond still smiling at him as he nuzzled agaisnt his forehead.

“Nah, I don’t mind. I’ve been called much worse things for sure. But…” he stopped to look back at him with his ocean blue eyes, which was now filled with endearment and relief. “I feel like… I have the strength to do even more. Now that you’re here with me.”

Jacques was struck with awe. He always felt like he was always stronger and determined whenever he was with his captain too, so to hear that his captain felt the same way with him… He felt like the two of them can get through anything together for real. That they were actually made for each other.

Jacques smiled as he nuzzled his forehead onto Garin’s “Well… I thank you. For everything Garin.”

“Don’t thank me just yet.” Garin replied, he turned slowly got his forehead away from his as he took his view outside of the window, overlooking the empty docks and the very quiet sea. “We still need to get our ship and crew back, then confront Scarblade in Maraqua” he said.

Jacques nodded as he looked out the window too. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but that didn’t matter. He knew that his captain would have his back, and he would have his. He knew that the two of them would be in safe hands. “So we leave tomorrow morning then, Captain?”

“Aye, and not a moment later.”


End file.
